


I + Can't + Lose + You

by refinedbuffoonery



Series: Building Something Permanent [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Comedic angst, F/M, I PROMISE THEY WILL BE TOGETHER BY THE END THOUGH, Kidnapping, Miscommunication, others are...suffering, some characters are having the time of their lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26955178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/refinedbuffoonery/pseuds/refinedbuffoonery
Summary: Kidnapping. Miscommunication. Road-trip. Undeclared professions of love. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Building Something Permanent [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930927
Comments: 58
Kudos: 170





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am SO EXCITED to share this with y'all! I PROMISE by the end of this I will have fixed the mess I ended R+S+U with (still not sorry about that), BUT I make absolutely zero promises about how long it will take to get to that point. Unlike R+S+U, which was contained to a single mission, this one...this one I can do whatever I want with. Consider this your warning.

Mac forced himself to spend his day off in the worst, most boring way possible: cleaning his house. He’d been procrastinating it for weeks, and now his laundry piled up and a thin layer of dirt covered the floor, courtesy of everyone walking around in their dirty boots post-mission. He really needed to enforce a “no muddy shoes'' rule. 

His phone buzzed, momentarily rescuing him from folding the mountain of freshly-washed clothes on his bed. It was a text from Riley.  _ I’ve been kidnapd.  _

“What the hell?” he muttered, typing,  _ Are you okay? Where are you _

Mac stared at his phone, waiting for a reply. Nothing. He folded three pairs of pants. Still nothing. Riley rarely took this long to text back. He sent a second text.  _ Riles? _

Mac forced himself to wait a whole ninety seconds before calling her. The call went straight to voicemail. He swore. What the fuck happened? He called Matty, who picked up on the first ring. 

“Riley’s been kidnapped.” 

**********

**One hour earlier…**

Sweat slid down Riley's back as she walked up the stairs to her apartment after her run. Running was her least favorite form of working out, but it was a necessary evil in her line of work. 

She unlocked the door, entered, and stopped in her tracks. Her refrigerator door hung open, and someone was hunched over, rummaging inside. Riley took her earbuds out of her ears and wove her fingers through her keys, placing one between each finger. She left the front door open behind her as she creeped toward the kitchen. 

The figure suddenly stood, and Riley almost dropped her keys in surprise as she took in a familiar middle-aged bounty hunter. “Riley, what on earth do you even eat? There is no food in this house.” 

Riley cringed. She hadn’t gone to the grocery store in forever and had been living on takeout and dinners at Bozer’s apartment. 

“Hi, Mama.” Riley shut the front door behind her and tossed her keys on a nearby table. “How did you get in?” 

Mama Colton smiled. “Met your landlord. Told her I’m your aunt.” 

“Okay then.” Riley made a mental note to talk to her landlord about who her  _ real  _ family members were. 

“I have a proposition for you,” Mama explained. “I need your help catching a bounty, and in return I’ll give you a small percentage of the reward.” When Riley hesitated, she continued, “It’ll just be us and Jesse. The boys are sitting this one out.” 

Working with the Colton women was always a good time, but Riley didn’t want her money. “How about a few of your buttermilk pies instead?” She grinned.

“ _ Damn _ my son is a fool,” Mama replied, grinning back. 

Riley grabbed her laptop as Mama filled her in on the mark: Hector Pitt, a thirty four year old former IT technician at a tech startup who stole classified data while fixing an employee’s computer. 

She set up a few programs to track the man down and took a shower while they ran. Knowing how the woman felt about boundaries and stepping on people’s toes, Riley trusted Mama not to snoop through her computer while she was in the other room. 

Riley was towel drying her hair when Mama hollered that the program got a hit. A traffic camera in a suburb of Phoenix showed their mark walking down the street. 

Mama looked at her with admiration and someone else Riley couldn’t quite place. “You never let me down, Miss Riley.” Riley beamed back at her, filled with that same urge to please Mama as she had back when she dated Billy and worked with the Coltons on a regular basis. 

Riley finished getting dressed and packed her backpack. 

Mama tossed Riley her keys. “You’re driving.” Riley couldn’t believe she didn’t notice Mama’s bright red truck parked in the apartment complex’s parking lot earlier, but there it was, sticking out like a sore thumb in between a Tesla and a Mustang convertible. 

Not wanting to leave without telling anyone where she was going, Riley shot Mac a text.  _ I’ve been kidnapd _ , she typed as a joke, accidentally hitting send while fixing her typo. She sent a second text.  _ By Mama Colton….going to AZ for a couple days _ . Riley didn’t wait to see if the message sent before putting her phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode, tossing it in her backpack, and chucking the bag in the backseat. 

**********

Meanwhile, Mac completely lost his shit. 

All he got was “I’ve been kidnapd,” and arguably the most confusing part was that she spelled kidnapped wrong. She almost never had typos in her texts….part of being a hacker, Mac supposed. Not to mention that it also wasn’t like her to not give any clues as to who took her or where they’re going. 

Mac paced up and down the war room while Matty launched a search and rescue op. He had called Riley almost thirty times, but her phone immediately went to voicemail every time. Somewhere around the thirteenth call he’d stopped feeling relieved she’d picked up, only to have been fooled by the “hey” at the beginning of her voicemail greeting. 

A new analyst whose name Mac didn’t know traced the text. Riley sent it while she was still at her apartment, which was even more confusing. 

On the big screen. the location tracker on her phone showed her speeding down the 10. She could be going anywhere. Plus, there were so many cars on the freeway that satellite imagery was useless. They’d never be able to pick out which car Riley was in without more clues. 

Fear closed around Mac’s throat. Unable to take his eyes off the tracker, he whispered, “Where are you?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn this update took forever. Blame it on the gas station scene refusing to cooperate with me. It decided to be a bitch.

Riley had to admit, she was having the time of her life on this impromptu road trip with Mama. 80s music blasted from the truck’s speakers, and she and Mama danced in their seats. But Riley knew their fun was coming to an end the moment she spied the sea of brake lights in the distance. 

It took no time at all to catch up to the traffic. Every vehicle packed on the freeway sat at a standstill. 

“How do y’all live like this?” Mama asked incredulously. “There is no reason for this many cars to be on the road.” Riley chuckled. 

After another half mile of crawling through bumper to bumper traffic, Riley was finally fed up with it too. “Okay that’s it,” she announced. “We’re taking the back way.” 

LA streets were slow, but nothing was as slow as the 10 during rush hour, and they’d left right at the beginning of it. Avoiding the freeways like the plague, Riley wound through the city streets, flooring the gas through every yellow light. 

After a particularly risky one, Mama questioned, “ _ Who _ taught you to drive?” 

Riley grinned ear to ear. “Jack.” Mama rolled her eyes and double checked that her seatbelt was buckled. Before long, they were back on the freeway, zooming toward the desert. 

In Indio, they stopped to get gas and use the restroom. From here to Phoenix, there was just a whole lot of nothing. Maybe some cactus, tumbleweeds, and the occasional Joshua tree if they were lucky. 

Although, Riley doubted her luck, considering she was driving to Phoenix in a truck with crappy air conditioning in the last week of July. She regretted not changing out of her favorite black Van Halen tank top into one that was a lighter color. 

By the time Riley exited the gas station’s convenience store armed to the teeth with snacks, Mama had finished filling up the gas tank and was now leaning against the tailgate, waiting. “You’re still driving,” the older woman said. Riley sighed. Of course she was. 

Riley jumped at the sound of a door slamming open behind them, almost dropping her armload of snacks. A guy wearing a navy blue hoodie sprinted toward an old Bronco, clutching something to his chest. He dove into the car and sped off. Riley and Mama winced at the squeal of the tires as he skidded out of the parking lot and back onto the road. 

The sole convenience store employee had chased after the thief to no avail. Dejected slump curving his shoulders inward, he stared after the long-gone car. 

Wordlessly handing the snacks to Mama, Riley cautiously approached the employee. He was just a kid, 25 at the most. “Hey, I’m sorry that happened.” She tipped her head toward where the Bronco had been parked. “Are you okay?” 

“Am I  _ okay _ ?” he asked incredulously. “Of course I’m not okay! That was the third one today and my boss is going to be fuc-- _ pissed _ and it’s all because I can’t see in the back anymore because the first guy smashed the security camera with a can of Pringles which he then stole.” He had the wild look in his eyes of a furious customer service employee who was about to explode but couldn’t because they were, well, a customer service employee. Riley pitied him. 

“Well, I can’t do anything about the thief, but I think I can fix your security camera issue.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah.” Riley wasn’t totally sure she could fix it, but she’d seen Mac build and fix enough cameras over the years she figured it was worth a shot. “Can you show me where it is? I’m Riley, by the way.” 

“Marco,” he replied, holding the door open for her and Mama. Marco led her to the far corner of the store. Back here, everything a customer did would be completely concealed from the cashier. Mounted from the ceiling, the security camera’s shattered lens didn’t do much good. 

“Can I take it apart?” 

Marco looked skeptical, but he said, “It’s not like you can break it any more.” 

Riley unhooked it from the wall and began taking it apart. Aside from the shattered lens, it wasn’t actually broken. She could fix it if she had a camera. 

Riley froze. She  _ did  _ have a camera…

God, when did she turn into Mac? 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered as she cracked her phone open. Riley didn’t bother checking to see if she had any notifications first. They were about to disappear forever anyway. Mama’s eyes widened, but Mac would’ve been proud. She held up her unusable phone and wiggled it. “In this line of work,  _ always  _ get the insurance.” 

“You’ve spent too long with that MacGyver,” was all Mama said, but Riley didn’t miss her impressed smirk. 

The hardest part was breaking her phone. Riley prided herself on having the lowest phone replacement rate, which she knew was only because mission success relied on her tech actually working. Mac only sacrificed hers when he had no other option. 

Riley also knew Mac picked which phone to sacrifice based on who would have the most dramatic reaction. So, she dutifully handed it over every time wearing a serious expression, refusing to give Mac the satisfaction of being annoyed. 

Connecting the phone camera to the security camera wiring was easy enough. The finished product looked janky as hell, but Riley was pretty sure it would work. “Alright, go check whether it works.” 

Marco wove his way back to the counter. A few seconds later, a shrill “It works!” echoed through the convenience store. 

Mama smiled. “Good girl. I’ll meet you in the truck.” 

A rush of pride filled Riley--the same one she got every time she MacGyver-ed her way out of a problem. Fixing the security camera hopefully would put an end to Marco’s shitty day. 

She met Marco by the exit. “Thank you!” the kid said, throwing his arms around her in an overenthusiastic hug. Riley stiffened at the contact and patted Marco’s shoulder. He let go, none the wiser to her discomfort. 

“You’re welcome,” Riley said. “Have a good rest of your day.” She exited the convenience store and walked back to the truck. 

**********

Mac was alone in the war room when Riley’s location disappeared off the map. 

Gone, in the blink of an eye. 

“ _ No _ ,” Mac said to himself, voice catching. Her location last showed her at a gas station in Indio, but she could be taken anywhere from there. There was a whole lot of nothing and no-man’s land for her kidnappers to make her disappear in. 

Watching the tracker cut out finally pushed him over the edge. Mac succumbed to all the worst case scenarios that were threatening to incapacitate him completely.  _ They know who she is, and they’re forcing her to hack something. Or maybe they don’t know who she is, what she can do, and they just grabbed her off the street because she’s pretty and _ ...Mac couldn’t finish the thought. 

Without anyone there to stop him, Mac let himself get absorbed in his own head.  _ I’ve lost her, for good this time. She’s gone. Riley’s gone. _

Why the hell hadn’t she sent him a clue? Every time she got kidnapped, she always managed to give him a clue about her whereabouts. Riley was one of the smartest people he knew. How did this happen? Who the hell took her? 

_ I never told her I’m in love with her _ . 

God, what if he never got that chance? Or what if something really bad happens to her and he’s too late to stop it and she loses her faith in him? 

He had to find her. And when she was safe and healed and at home he’d tell her. Mac stormed out of the war room, nearly running Matty over on his way out. 

“Where are you going, Blondie?” she asked. 

“To get Riley back.” 

He didn’t stop walking until Matty said, in the gentlest possible voice, “Mac.” 

Her tone was the only reason he turned around. If she’d spoken in her Matty The Hun voice, it would’ve fueled him to keep walking, but something about the knowing gentleness made him pause. He turned to look at her, every emotion he felt about the situation and about Riley plain on his face.

“Okay,” she said, giving him a small nod. If she didn’t know about his feelings for Riley before, she definitely did now. 

Mac ran to his truck and sped off. 

**********

Matty added Mac’s location tracker to the screen in the war room. Like a true Californian, he skipped getting on the 10 completely and stuck to the secret back ways he’d learned over the years. Like Riley, he sped through every yellow, but eventually he got stuck in a long chain of red lights. 

Despite the fact that one of her two best agents was MIA and the other was out of his mind with grief and fear, Matty smiled to herself. Mac would find Riley; they always managed to find each other, against all odds. And when they finally reunited...maybe some things would finally be put on the table. 

Good things, Matty decided. She’d always suspected their relationship might go down this road. For years, Mac and Riley unconsciously gravitated toward one another. They stood unnecessarily close together, they constantly flicked their gaze to the other, they kept tabs on the other’s emotions. 

Because of that, she’d rarely put them undercover together as a couple because of the romantic potential. If they were ever going to move past their obliviousness and develop feelings, Mac and Riley deserved for that to happen on its own, without a bunch of charades in the way. Although, given the details they’d both left out from their reports on the op in Monte Carlo, it might’ve been just the thing to finally push them together after all this time. 

All of the chaos of the last year must’ve brought new, deeper feelings to the surface, because after defecting to Codex, Mac and Riley grew closer, though they remained guarded with the rest of the team. Even if they didn’t recognize it, their relationship was changing, hopefully for the better. With the hands they’d been dealt in life, Mac and Riley deserved that kind of lasting happiness more than anyone else she knew. 

Eyes still trained on the screen, Matty whispered, “Go get her, Mac.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long (and that it's so short!). Filler chapters are rough, y'all. BUT, the next one will finally get into the actual plot of Mama Colton and Riley chasing down the mark in Phoenix.

Riley and Mama were in the absolute middle of nowhere when the last radio station died. They hadn’t seen any signs of civilization for two hours, and it would be at least two more before they reached Phoenix. Periodically, a car drove by or a tumbleweed rolled across the road, but seeing anything else out the window was asking too much. 

Riley let her mind wander as she drove down the long, straight road; now was as good of a time as ever to think through the software she’d spent the week debugging. She’d fixed most of the issues, but the solution to one last error dangled just out of reach. 

Heat waves rippled off the road. Riley snapped her attention back to driving, squinting slightly to see through the wavy mirage. 

Mama turned down the volume—just static now anyway. “I’m sorry for the way my son treated you. You certainly did not deserve it.” 

Well  _ that  _ was unexpected. Riley appreciated her words, even though she was long over Billy Colton. 

“Is there a new man in your life?” Mama asked. Riley blushed, just slightly. “So there is,” she said knowingly. The woman didn’t miss a thing. “Well, who is he?” 

Smiling to herself, Riley let her biggest secret spill. “He’s Mac.” 

There it was. 

She finally admitted it aloud to someone other than Mac, and even that confession didn’t cover the full scope of her feelings. Bozer had figured it out forever ago, but it wasn’t the same as her actually telling someone. A weight lifted off her chest. 

“MacGyver.” Mama said his name in that rolling, overly-Southern way she always did. “A lucky man. What makes him so special?” 

For some reason, Riley felt safe sharing with Mama, so she did. “He wants to make the world a better place,” she said. “He’s selfless, he doesn’t have an evil bone in his body, and he’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.” She glanced at Mama before continuing. “Mac makes me want to be better. To do good. I—” her words died in her throat. 

Mama knew she’d been to prison but not the full story of what landed Riley there. Riley didn’t feel like rehashing the parts of her past she’d rather not think about. 

“Go on,” Mama murmured. 

Riley flexed her fingers around the steering wheel. “I wasn’t always that way.” That was all she was willing to say on that matter. 

“I see. I don’t know who you were before”— _ before you went to prison _ , she didn’t need to say—“but the woman driving my truck is a fine human being.” Mama cracked a grin. “You should really meet her.” 

Riley snorted. “I should, should I?” 

They passed the time in peaceful silence. Riley figured the older woman had fallen asleep, but not long after passing a sign reading sixty miles until Phoenix, she drawled, “Do you trust him?”

Riley frowned at the context-less question. “Trust who?” 

Mama shot her an exasperated “ _ who else?” _ look. “MacGyver! Who else would we be talking about?” 

_ Oh _ . Riley answered, “I trust him completely.” She’d trusted him from the moment he picked the locks on her handcuffs all those years ago. 

“Good. Now, does he trust you?” 

Apparently this car ride was now an interrogation. “Yeah.” 

“Do you love him?” 

“Yes.” Of course she loved him...how could she not? 

“Are you  _ in  _ love with him? Those are two very different things, you know.” 

Riley did know. “Also yes.” 

“And is he in love with you?” 

Taking a deep breath of too-warm air, Riley said, “Honestly, I don’t know. I think so?” 

Mama narrowed her eyes, evidently realizing Riley’s situation was more complicated than she let on. “What makes you so sure he’s the one for you?” 

Riley paused before answering. She had to get this right. Not only to appease Mama, but to know, without a shadow of a doubt, herself. 

“Because he’s always there for me,” Riley started. “When shit hits the fan, I can always count on Mac. As long as he’s around, I never have to face stuff alone, and I do the same for him. It’s us against the world, not me against him, you know?” Riley smiled. “I’ve never seen my life flash before my eyes more times than when I’m with him, but he’s somehow still the safest, most trustworthy person I know.” 

Riley waited. And waited. And waited. 

After taking far too long to think it over, Mama seemed satisfied with Riley’s answers. “I’m glad you found each other.” 

**********

Mac needed gas, but with the truck in cruise control he could make it all the way to Indio before he had to stop. In the meantime, he couldn’t blast the radio loud enough to drown out the horrible what-if scenarios running through his head. 

He would find Riley and bring her home. That much Mac had reassured himself about—at least enough to stave off the Riley-is-dead nightmare scenarios. He’d get there. Until then, she was plenty capable of holding her own. 

But even when he did get her back... _ god _ they’d made such a mess. Ever since that damn undercover mission to Monte Carlo, Riley shied away from Mac’s touch. They used to be in each other’s personal space all the time, but now there were walls up between them that never existed before. 

Mac wished Monte Carlo had never happened at all. 

He hated everything about the way the confession happened—the screaming, blowing their covers, it piggybacking off other emotional trauma. Knowing she reciprocated his feelings was everything, but not when the cost was no relationship and a wide chasm between him and his best friend. He’d rather still not know and wait for the right time for a quiet, loving confession. 

The truck dinged as the gas light came on. “Shut up. I know,” he groaned. A green sign read ten miles until Indio. 

_ Are you sure we aren’t making a massive mistake? _

_ We can’t do this.  _

Mac refused to believe they already blew their chance at happiness. They just needed to try again. At least neither of them had said, “I love you.” They still had that. When the right time finally came—a quiet night at his house, sitting by the firepit, watching the city lights below—they would try again, this time leading with soft expressions and those three little words. 

He could try again. He  _ would  _ try again. 

As Indio rolled into view, Mac turned off the freeway at the first gas station he saw. It was practically empty, so he started filling the tank and headed inside the convenience store in search of a snack. 

He settled for a king-sized Reese’s and an iced green tea. Placing his snacks on the counter, Mac greeted the cashier with the standard, “Hey, how’s it going?” and was caught completely off guard when the scrawny teenage boy’s face lit up and he launched into a story about some pretty woman who fixed the security camera. 

Following the kid’s gestures, Mac spied the security camera in the far corner, lens smashed out and wiring sticking out the front. He walked deeper into the store to get a closer look. Whoever fixed it wired a cell phone camera into the camera hardware—exactly what he would’ve done. 

_ Wait _ . 

Mac whirled on the cashier. “Can you describe the woman who fixed that?” 

The kid—Marco, his nametag read—frowned. “Uhh how do I know you’re not some creepy stalker or something?” 

“If she was the same woman I’m thinking of, I’m her best friend.” 

“Just checking, dude!” The kid shrugged. “She was hot, man. Black hair, big eyes, Van Halen shirt. I think she was with her mom.” 

_ Her mom? _ Mac filed that bit of information away for later, but that was Riley, alright. If she had time to fix a gas station security camera with pieces from her phone, then she was safe, at least for now. Mac breathed a sigh of relief. Her phone died because she broke it. “Thanks, man.” 

“No problem.” 

Mac raced for his truck. The cashier called after him, but Mac couldn’t hear the kid’s words over the ones repeating in his mind.  _ Riley’s safe.  _

_ Riley’s safe.  _

_ Riley’s safe.  _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience with this one! There will be one more chapter after this before we reach the end of the road (ha!). I tried something new this chapter with the rapid POV shifts, so let me know what you think!

Tracking down the skip was almost too easy. Riley ran her facial recognition program through the city's traffic cameras, and two minutes later, Hector Pitt appeared strolling out of a McDonald's, large box of fries in hand. 

She and Mama had arrived in Phoenix a few hours before sunset. The dying sunlight cast a deep orange glow on the mountains rising in the distance. It was still hotter than hell outside, with no sign of impending relief, and sweat rolled down Riley's temples and between her breasts. She didn't understand why anyone would choose to live here. 

Mama called her daughter, Jesse, who was patrolling the east end of town and the suburbs beyond it, to let her know they located Pitt. 

He must’ve known Mama’s truck, because as soon as Riley pulled up to the McDonald’s, Pitt dove into his car and gunned the engine. “Why can’t this ever be easy?” Riley muttered. She sped off after Pitt, the tires squealing as the truck skidded around the corner. 

**********

Mac arrived in Phoenix starving and bored out of his mind. He'd forgotten his snacks on the counter in the gas station in Indio, and his grumbling stomach reminded him of his mistake constantly. 

Knowing that Riley was probably safe eased the dread weighing heavy in his gut. There was no reason to fear what he might find at the end of the long desert highway, but he still couldn’t shake the desperation to see her, to touch her, to have her safe beside him. 

To tell her that he was in love with her, because while waiting seemed logical before, six hours of driving like a madman made the whole thing look ridiculous. What were they waiting for anyway? 

For them to get their shit together. For  _ him  _ to get his shit together. Riley was fine, always has been. Well, maybe not always, but close enough. 

What if they waited too long? What if it’s all just water under the bridge at this point? 

Mac was saved from answering that question by some asshole driving a red truck speeding past him on the wrong side of the road. A quick glance at the speedometer told Mac that he was already going ten miles per hour over the speed limit, and the other driver was going even faster. What the hell was their problem? 

Reaching out the window to flip them off, Mac glared at the driver. The woman had dark, curly hair and both hands clenched around the steering wheel. Another woman sat in the passenger seat. Mac couldn’t quite bring himself to laugh at how similar the woman’s driving was to Riley’s. 

Unless…

_ Shit _ . Was that Riley? The red truck swerved around a corner without slowing down—the way only someone with lots of experience in high-speed car chases would turn.  _ Yep _ , Mac thought.  _ Definitely Riley _ . 

He stepped on the gas, not daring to completely floor it until after he made the turn, and hauled ass in pursuit of the red truck. 

**********

Riley was fuming. 

First, this asshole she passed flipped her off, and now he was following her? He wasn't doing a very good job of keeping up, but still. What the fuck? 

“This nerd sees one action movie and thinks he can be a getaway driver,” she snarled. “This isn’t NASCAR, buddy.” 

Mama gave her a look. “Isn’t that how you learned?” 

“Not the point.” Riley made another sudden turn. “Call Jesse and have her cut off Pitt. I’m gonna shake this guy.” 

********** 

Reason number one why Mac was never the driver: he sucked at it. Riley was trying to lose him, and she was doing a damn good job. If he didn't know her well enough to somewhat predict her moves, Mac would've lost her already.  _ This is what I get for flipping her off _ , he thought. 

Clearly she hadn't seen his face, or else this wouldn't be happening right now. With each turn, Mac lost a little ground. No cops yet, luckily, but it wouldn’t matter if he got stopped by cops because he was about to lose Riley again anyway. 

Mac wished he had Riley in the passenger seat, scouring a satellite view and directing him through the best route to catch, well, her. He couldn't remember ever not blindly trusting her to get him where he needed to be. Catching her was so much harder without her. Mac wondered if that was what she felt like when she chased him to fake-join Codex. 

A semi truck pulled into the road, blocking his view of Riley. By the time Mac skirted the truck, she was long gone, like she'd never been there at all. 

**********

“Got ‘em,” Riley said with a smirk when she finally lost their tail. Now they could get back to the important matter at hand: catching Pitt. 

Jesse’s voice crackled through Mama’s phone. “There’s an empty parking lot up ahead. We can corner him there.” 

“On it.” Riley floored the gas to get ahead and intercept him. 

Pitt took the bait, falling right into their trap. He cut through the parking lot to try and ditch Jesse and found himself blocked in by a certain oversized red truck with a woman aiming a rifle out the shotgun window. Mama shot his tires before he could try to leave. 

The man obviously knew when he lost, because with Mama aiming at him from the front and Jesse from behind, Pitt slowly got out of his car and kneeled on the ground, hands raised above his head. Grabbing the handcuffs from the truck’s glove compartment, Riley stalked toward the man and cuffed him. He was bigger than Riley expected, more muscular, and had oddly familiar calluses on his hands. Riley tucked the thought away for later and marched him to Mama’s truck. 

Mama didn’t lower her gun, but Riley wasn’t worried. Even if Pitt tried something and Mama had to shoot, Riley would be fine. Mama never missed. 

Once Pitt was secured in the backseat, Riley turned to the Colton women and grinned.  _ That was easy _ . 

**********

When Mac saw the red truck sitting in a nearly empty parking lot, he ran three red lights and skidded into the lot with abandon. Riley stood beside the truck with her back to him, but Mac didn’t need to see her face to know that was her; he’d recognize her posture and the shape of her body anywhere. She was chatting with two other women he couldn’t recognize from far away. 

As soon as his car came to a stop, Mac flung the door open and yelled Riley’s name. 

**********

Riley whipped her head around at the sound of her name. She did a double take when her eyes locked on Mac getting out of his truck—the same truck that had been tailing her, she realized—and running toward her. “What are you doing here?” she yelled back. 

His chest heaved, and a wild, frantic look filled his eyes. “Looking for you!” He stopped in front of her, well within her personal space. Mac reached for her arms and hesitated, waiting for her to flinch away like she’d been doing for weeks now. Instead, she softened her eyes and gave him an almost imperceptible nod.  _ You can touch me _ , the look said. 

Mac’s grip on her biceps was heartbreakingly gentle. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke. “You said you were kidnapped.” 

_ Oh _ . “Mac,” she said softly, “it was a joke. I’m fine.” 

She’d never seen him look as furious as he did now, yanking his hands back like she’d burned him and taking a full step backward. “A  _ joke _ ? Are you fucking kidding me, Riley? What was I supposed to think when I got that text? All it said was ‘I’ve been kidnapped’ with ‘kidnapped’  _ spelled wrong _ for god’s sake, and then you didn’t answer when I texted and called you back!” 

_ Uh oh _ . “How many texts did you get?” 

“What?” 

“How many texts did you get?” she repeated. “I sent you two. One right after the other.” 

A beat. “One.” 

_ Oh god _ . He never got the second, more important text. She should’ve checked her phone.  _ Damnit _ . Riley wanted to hug him, but fury still radiated off Mac, so she stayed back. “I’m so sorry. I accidentally hit send instead of delete while fixing my typo. I should’ve made sure the second text went through. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” 

“When we couldn’t track your phone anymore, I—” He dragged his hands through his hair. “I thought I lost you. I was terrified I’d find you dead in someone’s trunk or thrown in a ditch somewhere. I thought I’d never get the chance to say—”  _ No, no, no, no, not yet _ . Riley silently begged him not to confess yet. “—what I need to say.” She exhaled. 

Mac still hadn’t taken his eyes off her, hadn’t bothered to see who was standing behind her. “Look who’s behind me,” she gently guided. He did, and too many emotions to name crossed his face as he took in Mama and Jesse Colton. Then, before Riley knew what was happening, Mac practically tackled her, crushing her into his chest so tightly she could barely breathe. How they didn’t end up on the ground was beyond her. Riley hugged him back, murmuring apologies and reassurances into the crook of his neck. 

The only warning something was wrong was the loud squeak of one of Mama’s truck doors opening. 

“Get down!” 

Gunshots filled Riley’s ears as her back slammed into the side of the truck, and she slid to the ground. Mac crouched over her, providing cover from the bullets pinging off the asphalt. Mama and Jesse crouched behind Pitt’s car, returning fire.  _ Fucking hell _ . 

“Forget to check him for weapons, did you?” Mac teased. “Who is this guy?” 

“Hector Pitt. IT guy. And _ I did _ check.” 

Mac gave her a look. “Did you check  _ everywhere _ ?” 

Furrowing her brow, Riley craned her neck to see Pitt shooting over the far side of the truck bed. He concentrated his fire toward the Coltons. “What do you mean  _ ‘everywhere’ _ ? Of course I—” She glared at Mac. “I am  _ not  _ groping some random ass criminal on the off chance that he’s stupid enough to hide a loaded gun next to his dick.” 

“Just saying, this could have been avoided.” 

“Shut up and help me take him out already.” 

Slowly, Riley crawled into the truck’s backseat, frowning at the unlocked handcuffs on the floor. She opened the far door—the one closest to Pitt—just far enough to release the latch before laying back on the seats, pressing her feet against the door. Through the windshield, she watched Mac stroll around the front of the truck, right hand raised. Riley waited. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Trying to calm her thundering pulse. 

She didn’t dare blink.  _ Inhale, exhale _ . What was taking so long?  _ Inhale, exhale _ . 

Mac’s hand dropped, and Riley kicked the door open as hard as she could, and the sickening smack of metal against flesh told her it worked. Pitt’s unconscious body crumpled on the ground like a rag doll. While Mac disarmed him, Riley tied the man up with jumper cables and zip-ties before re-handcuffing him. 

Handing Pitt’s gun to Mama, Mac said, “There’s no way he’s actually an IT guy.” The women laughed. 

**********

Despite their exhaustion, Mac and Riley decided to drive home instead of booking a hotel room for the night. They played Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine driving shifts; Mac got the first one. He promptly blasted his mission pump-up playlist and pointed the A/C vents directly at his face to keep himself awake.

The slivered moon did little to illuminate the dark desert highway, and headlights from oncoming cars stung his eyes. Mac’s stomach was heavy with the weight of the carne asada burrito he had for dinner and the words he still needed to say to the woman sitting in his passenger seat. He thought about saying those three little words.  _ I love you _ . But now wasn’t the right time. 

When was the right time for anything? Mac honestly had no idea. 

He glanced at Riley, leaning against the window with her eyes closed. She wasn’t asleep, not with the music so loud, but Mac still envied her ability to relax so easily. He turned the music down a few notches. 

Safe. Riley was safe. In his truck, under his protection. Not that she needed his protection, per se, but Mac could breathe a little easier with the most important person in his life by his side. 

The double yellow line gave way to a passing zone, and the asshole who’d been tailing them for the last few miles sped by. Apparently fifteen miles per hour over the speed limit was too slow for them. “Fuck off,” Mac snarled. 

“Who are we telling to fuck off?” Riley cracked her eyes open. 

“The guy who just sped around me.” 

“Seems like that’s been happening to you a lot lately,” she teased.  _ Right _ . In all the chaos of chasing Riley and taking out Pitt, Mac had completely forgotten about flipping her off. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Riley laughed, sitting up. “Are you kidding me? That was hilarious once I realized it was you!” 

“Glad you think so.” He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel, suddenly nervous. “Riles?” 

“Hmmm?” 

_ I love you. I'd be lost without you. Please don’t ever scare me like that again _ . 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s still Sunday in my time zone, so HA! I kept my promise! Anyway, this is the last chapter, so thank you all for joining me on this crazy ride. Heads up, the end is ~spicy~ but not like, explicitly filthy (it’s teenager appropriate). Enjoy! :)

Riley pulled into Mac’s driveway a few minutes shy of 2:00 am. Her lower back ached, her right leg cramped, and her eyes were bloodshot, but they were finally home.  _ Thank god _ . Riley didn’t want to drive again for a week. She told Mac as much, earning a chuckle. 

Nearly every joint in her body popped as Riley crawled out of the driver’s seat and stretched, an undignified groan escaping her lips. As if her body was on autopilot, she drifted inside after Mac. 

The house was unbearably hot and stuffy. Dropping her bag by the door, Riley opened her mouth to suggest they divide and conquer opening the bazillion windows in this goddamn house when Mac yanked the fridge open and asked, “Beer?” 

“ _ Now _ ?” 

“Yes,  _ now _ .” He cracked one open and held it out to her. Sighing, Riley accepted, and Mac opened another for himself. 

Riley took one sip before her bladder felt like it was about to explode. “Oh my god I have to pee  _ so bad _ ,” she announced, scurrying from the room. 

**********

Mac couldn’t help but laugh. He’d offered Riley a beer to stall her from immediately going to bed and to buy himself time to figure out how to tell her he loved her, and now he was going to say “I love you” in the same five minutes as her frantically yelling “I have to pee.” 

Of course. 

But it was the incredulous look on her face when she returned and realized he’d been laughing at her that sent him over the edge, unable to catch his breath as he doubled over in laughter. Riley’s pouting didn’t last long, however, and soon she was hiding her smile between sips of beer, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. Mac couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was in that moment, eyes glimmering with amusement despite the exhaustion making her movements sluggish and her shoulders cave inward. Even on her worst days, or under the worst circumstances, Riley exuded warmth, filling up the empty spaces in Mac’s heart like a fire lighting up a hearth. 

She was it for him—his adventure buddy, his drinking buddy, his “look up at the stars and talk about life” buddy, and his best friend all in one. The eye of his stormy life. Every look and every touch felt like safety, like home, and every time she said his name it sounded like the rest of his life. Riley knew every terrible thing he’d ever done and still trusted him anyway, and if that wasn’t love then Mac had no idea what was. 

He just needed to go for it. Take the leap and tell her how he felt. Mac was done wasting his time being afraid of crashing and burning and ruining what he already had. 

For Riley, he’d risk it all. 

**********

Riley knew what Mac was gearing up to do when he invited her outside, and for the first time ever, she was ready for it. She leaned on the balcony railing beside him, their shoulders just brushing, and stared out at the city lights gleaming beneath the constant haze that filled the LA basin. Her knuckles accidentally grazed the back of his hand, sending sparks jittering across her skin. Mac mirrored the motion, and her breath hitched. Casually, Riley switched her beer to her other hand, leaving the one closest to Mac free so he could hold it.  _ If  _ he wanted to hold it. 

Even though he’d practically spelled his feelings out already, Riley couldn’t shake the doubt still lingering in her mind. What if he didn’t mean it? What if Mac decided he’d rather just be friends? What if, after an eternity of pining over each other, the spark between them fizzled out like a used-up match? That last scenario would break her heart more than anything else—that no matter how much they both wanted it, they wouldn’t be able to make it work, and they’d implode the same way his relationship with Desi did. 

The thought made her sick. Closing her eyes, Riley imagined crumpling the thought like a piece of paper and throwing it as far away as she could. A big gulp of beer drowned the rest of her doubts. For now. 

When she opened her eyes again, Mac was studying her, no doubt trying to determine what caused the sudden change in her body language. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m good.” She brushed her fingers against his, intentionally this time, and he didn’t prod any further. Instead, Mac tentatively laced his fingers with hers, like they were teenagers holding hands for the very first time and not grown-ass adults who’d held hands—with each other, no less—countless times. Just as they always did, Mac’s fingers locked perfectly with hers like it was their primary function. 

The cool ocean breeze did nothing to ease the burning Riley felt every place her skin touched Mac’s. Did he feel it too? Did he ache the way she ached to wrap herself in him and never let go? Mac squeezed her hand, and for a brief moment Riley pretended he’d read her mind and answered,  _ Yes _ . 

He squeezed again, and Riley lifted her gaze to meet his. “I’m in love with you,” he whispered, searching her eyes. He looked tired and terrified and a little...hopeful. Like that hope was the lighthouse guiding him home with each word that tumbled out of his mouth. “I need you, Riles. I need you in my life so badly I can’t risk losing you because I waited too long to tell you that I’m in love with you.” 

He took a deep breath. “I’m not perfect. Sometimes I’m selfish and self-destructive and get lost in my own head, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll never hurt you. But I would break every bone in my body and give my life over and over again to protect you, and that’s a promise. You’re my best friend. I trust you more than anyone else in the whole world, and you make me feel like any problem can be solved as long as we do it together. I’ve spent forever agonizing over when was the right time to tell you, and earlier today I realized I was just wasting time I could’ve spent building something permanent with you.” Mac’s voice broke. “Because I love you.” 

It was everything Riley ever wanted to hear. And so much more. 

“And if you don’t feel the same way, I get it. I’ll never bring it up—” Riley held a finger to his lips, cutting him off before he gave himself a panic attack. 

“Mac, it’ll  _ always  _ be you. Don’t you get that? If I could have anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, I’d always choose you. Every single time. Because, at the end of the day, you’re the person I want to come home to. You’re the person I want to share my life with. No one else, okay? You can try to push me away and keep on carrying the weight of the world by yourself, but I won’t let you, because starting today we are a team, and on this team no one has to face stuff alone.” 

Riley waited, and when Mac just stared at her instead of saying something back, she realized she’d forgotten the most important part. 

“Because I love you too.” She lifted their joined hands to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles. “And nothing will ever change that.” 

Her heart beat so loudly Riley was sure Mac could hear it. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, voice hoarse. 

“Yes, but before you do that, I have one question.” 

Mac’s eyes pleaded,  _ Make it quick _ . 

She teased, “You said you trusted me more than anyone else on earth, but what about the astronauts on the space station?” Mac looked like he wanted to throttle her. “Does that mean you trust them more than me?” 

He sighed, and a faint smile curled his lips. “Never. Now please shut up and let me kiss you.” Tilting her chin up, Mac cupped Riley’s cheek and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and deep and entirely too short considering what they’d just confessed. Riley’s lips chased Mac’s when he pulled away, but he simply kissed the bridge of her nose before resting his forehead on hers. “I know this is the part where we’re supposed to go have the best sex of our lives,” he said, “but I really just want to go to bed.” 

Riley laughed. “ _ Thank god _ . I’m about to pass out.” Still holding hands, they walked inside, sneaking glances and grinning like idiots drunk on happiness. 

“You’re sleeping in my bed,” he announced. “The guest bed is covered in laundry that I’ve been avoiding folding for a week.” Mac frowned, like he regretted the words that just came out of his mouth. “Or, well, you can sleep on the couch if you want, but, um, I’d like it if you slept with me. But again it’s up to you.” 

Warmth bloomed in Riley’s chest. Ever since he’d jumped her while they were infiltrating that party in Monte Carlo, Mac meticulously asked for her consent. For  _ everything _ , no matter how mundane. She knew he still felt guilty for throwing himself at her like that, but Riley wasn’t in any hurry to reassure him when his atoning behavior made her feel so safe and was, honestly, hot as fuck. 

“I plan on sleeping with you every night for the rest of my life, MacGyver.” 

He tensed, and Riley panicked that she’d gone too far with the  _ rest of my life _ bit. But then he pushed her against the doorframe and kissed her soundly, caressing her sides, and she relaxed. He rasped, “I’d like that very much.” 

They stumbled into the bedroom, stealing kisses and sneaky glances while getting ready for bed. Mac tossed her a soft, gray t-shirt to sleep in. Not trusting herself, Riley turned her back to Mac as she shimmied out of her clothes and donned his shirt, ignoring the searing feeling of Mac’s gaze on her backside. She trudged to the guest bathroom to remove her makeup and brush her teeth with the toiletries she kept there for nights just like this—when she crashed at Mac’s, too tired to go home. 

Mac was already in bed when Riley returned, having claimed the side closer to the door. She wondered if he did that intentionally, or if his protective instinct was just that: instinct. 

The full weight of her exhaustion hit her as Riley sank into the memory foam mattress. She knew the second Mac turned off the light she’d pass out, so she forced her body to scoot to the middle of the bed in a half-assed attempt to cuddle. “Goodnight, Mac.” 

He turned the lamp off. “Goodnight, Riles.” Riley was vaguely aware of arms circling her body and a leg slipping between hers as she slipped out of consciousness. Eyes closed and tucked safely into Mac’s embrace, Riley drifted into the black abyss and forgot the world. 

**********

When Mac woke up this morning, he never would’ve guessed he’d fall asleep with Riley snuggled into his chest. Never would’ve guessed they’d look each other in the eyes and say, “I love you.” Never would’ve guessed he’d wake up the next morning to the promise of banging his best friend’s brains out. 

It was surreal—enough so that Mac feared one blink would make it all go away. But the beckoning hand of sleep proved too strong, and Mac had no choice but to let himself be pulled under. 

**********

The gentle press of Mac’s lips against hers brought Riley into the awakened world the following morning. She’d rolled onto her back during the night, and now Mac hovered over her—forearms braced by her shoulders, chest grazing hers. His thumbs rubbed gentle circles to her arms beneath the sleeves of her t-shirt. Riley groaned, not ready to be awake yet. 

Mac peppered her face with kisses. “Good morning,” he murmured. Riley would’ve melted under his attention if she weren’t so intent on going back to sleep. 

“If that clock doesn’t at least read 7:00 a.m., I am going to kill you,” she mumbled, half asleep. Mac chuckled darkly, and Riley knew she wasn’t going to get her way. 

“7:05,” he said against her lips before kissing her again. Riley cursed him and his inability to sleep in. She groaned in complaint, but the sound morphed into something else when one of Mac’s hands slid under her shirt, feeling the smooth plane of her stomach. He paused when his fingertips brushed the bullet wound scar on her left side, before resuming exploring. Riley’s eyes popped open when he finally pulled away, lying on his side. 

Riley rolled to face him directly. “Did that really happen last night?” 

“Only if you wanted it to.” Mac offered her a sad smile. If she changed her mind, Riley knew he would respect her choice and figure out how to go back to being just friends. Even now, Mac was giving her an out, if she wanted it. 

The only thing Riley wanted out of was her clothes. And Mac out of his. 

“I love you,” she said, clear and bright as the morning sunlight peeking through the curtains. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to us, whether it’s a pack of monkeys chasing us with grenades or nightmare parent-teacher conferences, but I do know that no matter how crazy or difficult life gets, there’s no one I’d rather do life with than you.” 

She could’ve sworn Mac’s eyes were watering. “Come here,” he said, low and demanding. The sound went straight between her legs. Determined to hide how nervous she really was, Riley complied, pushing Mac onto his back and straddling his hips. Mac eyed the way her shirt bunched around her hips, leaving every inch of her legs exposed. He’d gotten better at hiding it over the years, but Riley long lost track of how many times she’d caught him checking out her legs when he thought no one was looking. 

Something in her back pinched as she leaned down to kiss him, and Riley winced, moving a hand to brace her lower back. 

“What’s wrong?” Mac asked. “Do we need to stop?” 

Riley shook her head. “No. I want this. My back just hurts after twelve hours of sitting in a car, so I need you to be gentle.” 

“Okay.” Mac sat up to kiss her, sliding his hands under the back of her shirt. Calloused fingertips trailed up and down her spine. They lingered as Riley tugged at his lower lip with her teeth, drawing a groan from his throat that set her blood on fire. She did it again, and his fingers desperately gripped her sides, making her laugh into the kiss. 

Riley trailed her lips along Mac’s jaw and down his neck. Her breath hitched as his hands swept up the front of her body, stopping just as his thumbs brush the undersides of her breasts. She moaned, arching into his touch. 

Still, Mac paused at her reaction. “Is this okay?” He sounded as nervous as Riley felt. 

She curled her fingers in his wild, sleep-mussed hair. "Yes. It's more than okay." When he still hesitated, Riley guided his hands up her chest, playing up her reaction by holding his gaze and biting her lower lip. The way his hands started to squeeze and move on their own told her it did the trick. 

Slowly grinding on him, she resumed kissing his neck, determined to leave a mark on his pale skin. Mac gasped, and his hands got a little braver. Slowly, he tugged her shirt off. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, looking at her like she was something holy. Riley shivered. Mac kissed her neck, rubbing her sides and hooking his fingers into the waistband of her underwear before hesitating again. 

“Please,” she whined. 

Mac flipped them carefully, and Riley squirmed for a few seconds, struggling to put her legs in the right place. She was usually so much better at this—sexier and suave. But Mac just kissed her cheek and waited patiently, smiling softly. 

Finally comfortable, Riley nodded.  _ Keep going _ . His lips applied just the right amount of pressure as he left a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down her torso, and she melted under his attention. “You are so beautiful,” Mac said between kisses. 

Riley didn’t know how Mac stayed so coherent, murmuring compliments and “ _ I love you _ ”s and continually asking permission as he worked his magic with his mouth, his fingers,  _ him _ , drawing gasps and moans and incoherent babbles from her lips. 

The tightness in her back melted into the background as he rocked into her. Nothing mattered in that moment but  _ them _ . 

His movements were slow and gentle, as requested, and that made them all the more dizzying; by the time Mac sent her over the edge, Riley was gone, lost in the delicious haze of love and lust. 

She managed to cup Mac’s cheek as he found his own release. He turned his face to kiss her palm, and the intimate gesture made Riley’s heart pound—even more so than any of their previous activities did. Riley pulled him closer, using her hands to encourage him to relax and lay his full weight on her. 

“Fuck,” Riley said. “I should’ve made you my boyfriend weeks ago.” Mac beamed at the label. 

“And deprive me of the most terrifying road trip of my life?” he mocked, brushing a rogue strand of hair out of her face. 

Riley snorted. “Never. Although, next time, we do that together.” 

“Together,” Mac agreed. 

For the first time, Riley allowed herself to truly imagine what  _ together  _ would look like. A lifetime of it. Something permanent. 

All of it. 


End file.
